Two days passed quietly. Katherine happened to catch a glimpse of Assistant Ryan's social media post.
Her lips curled up slightly in a self-mocking smile. She silently thought to herself, Andrew, you're really treating her so well.
She then gently pressed the back button, as if trying to block out that brief sting from her view.
Just then, her phone rang unexpectedly. It was a call from Joshua.
Katherine quickly answered. "Joshua."
"Kat, did you go to the hospital today?" Joshua's voice came through the receiver with a caring warmth.
Katherine sighed softly, replying helplessly, "Not yet. Joshua, this matter needs to be planned carefully. Some other things have happened, too."
She looked out the window at the bustling traffic outside. The noisy liveliness felt like a reflection of her chaotic heart.
"What happened? Did it get more complicated?" Joshua immediately picked up on the heaviness in her voice.
"Yes, it got more complicated," Katherine said, sounding tired. "The person who framed me has someone backing her. If I blindly try to expose her wrongdoing, it might not help at all."
Deep down, she wasn't only worried about the department director's issue. She was more afraid that the tangled web behind it all had already rooted itself high up.
She knew clearly that this matter had to be handled with caution, and it must be resolved properly before Shanshan left the country.
If she missed this chance, the truth might be buried forever.
Joshua paused for a moment, then asked, "Kat, have you thought about what to do next?"
"Not exactly," Katherine replied truthfully.
Joshua continued, "Kat, even though I'm no longer working as a doctor, I'm still in the medical field."
"Our company is launching a new high-precision testing device. We're planning to collaborate with a few hospitals."
"Can you tell me more details about what happened?"
Before Katherine could answer, he gently suggested, "Do you have time around noon? Why don't we meet and talk in person? Where would be convenient for you?"
Katherine was full of gratitude, but a bit embarrassed. "Joshua, won't this trouble you too much? You've already helped me a lot."
Joshua replied right away, "Kat, even if it weren't for your situation, we still need to find hospitals to partner with. This is really no trouble."
After thinking for a moment, Katherine agreed cheerfully. "Alright, I'll come to you. Let's meet at the western restaurant near your office. I'll send you my location when I get there."
"Okay." A smile appeared unconsciously on Joshua's face.
As he got ready to return to work, his secretary knocked and entered. "Sir, what would you like for lunch? I'll order ahead."
"No need. I've got a lunch appointment."
The secretary raised an eyebrow curiously. "Sorry to ask, but who are you meeting?"
Joshua looked up at him with a smile. "You just said it yourself — sorry to ask."
He lifted his chin slightly. "Get back to work."
Secretary: …Still unwilling to give up, he asked, "Sir, are you dating someone?"
When Joshua heard that, his hand paused while holding the pen. "No. Stop guessing."
Though deep down, he wished he could win her over soon.
But with her personality, he knew he had to take it slow.
…
In the surgery department meeting room.
Dr. Wang Yaowen sat upright, his face stern. His sharp gaze swept slowly across the group below, cold as a winter wind.
"Everyone should be aware that Dr. Katherine made a personal mistake that endangered a patient's life."
"If Dr. Shanshan hadn't noticed in time, the consequences could have been disastrous."
"As for whether Dr. Katherine can return to her position, that decision will be made by the hospital leadership."
Director Wang's voice echoed through the meeting room. Every word was like a heavy blow to everyone's heart.
Nurse Sana clenched her fists tightly on her lap, her knuckles turning white with rage.
Inside, she was screaming in anger. This was clearly a setup, a deliberate and malicious act.
But she knew she had to endure it. She couldn't let all of Katherine's hard work be wasted.
She couldn't act recklessly. She could only swallow her fury and let the fire burn quietly inside her.
Shanshan sat upright, wearing a modest smile as she softly said, "Director, I was just doing my duty as a doctor. It's really nothing worth mentioning."
"How could it be nothing? This kind of spirit should be widely promoted."
"From now on, in similar situations, everyone should follow Dr. Shanshan's example."
Director Wang didn't hold back his praise, making Shanshan feel secretly proud.
In her heart, she mocked: Katherine, even if you're highly skilled, what good does it do you? In the end, I still got rid of you and made you leave in disgrace.
But the other doctors didn't all think that way.
"Director, Dr. Katherine has helped us a lot in the past. You can't just erase all her contributions because of one mistake."
"Even though she made a mistake due to personal reasons, she had already checked the patient before leaving and found no issues."
"So the sudden condition of the patient in bed number three still seems suspicious to me."
"I think we should—"
Before Zhang Jing could finish her sentence, Director Wang interrupted angrily, "Zhang Jing, what are you implying?"
"Are you saying I wronged Dr. Katherine, or that the higher-ups made a mistake?"
He remembered how she sent Nurse Sana to deliver the patient analysis a few days ago, ruining his plans. He'd been holding in anger ever since, and now he finally had a chance to vent it.
Shanshan had long disliked Zhang Jing. Although she hadn't been particularly close to Katherine, standing up for that woman now meant she'd chosen her side.
"Dr. Zhang, are you suggesting that I did something behind the scenes to frame Dr. Katherine?" Shanshan asked coldly.
Zhang Jing answered with a blank expression, "I didn't say that."
"You…" Shanshan was furious.
"Enough. This ends here. If I hear any more of you discussing this in private, don't blame me if you lose your jobs." Director Wang snapped.
The room fell into a tense silence. No one dared speak.
After a while, Director Wang spoke again and announced, "Regarding the overseas exchange program for our department, the selected participant has been decided."
"Congratulations to Dr. Shanshan for being chosen to study abroad for a year."
The room stayed quiet.
Looking at their faces, Shanshan's smile slowly faded.
Director Wang, noticing the atmosphere, slammed the table and said coldly, "Meeting's over."
Katherine left home an hour early to go find Joshua.